Privacy & Security Information
- Privacy Act
- Non-personal information we record
- Security and Intrusion Detection
- Information from e-mail you send us
- Information collected if you complete a form on our Web sites
- State Certification
- Your rights under the Paperwork Reduction Act
- More about privacy and your student aid records
Privacy Act
Thank you for visiting our Web site. Our privacy policy is simple: We collect
no personal information about you unless you choose to provide that information
to us.
Below you will find information explaining how your information will be safeguarded.
Non-personal information we record
If you do nothing during your visit but browse through the Web site, read pages, or download information, our Web site's operating system will automatically record some general information about your visit.
During your visit, our Web operating system will record:
- The Internet domain for your Internet service, such as "xcompany.com" or "xcompany.net" if you use a private Internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you connect from a college or university domain.
- The type of browser (such as "Netscape version X" or "Internet Explorer version X") that you are using.
- The type of operating system that you use (such as Macintosh, Unix, or Windows).
- The date and time you visit our site, and the Web pages that you visit on our site.
- The address of the previous Web site you were visiting, if
you linked to us from another Web site.
We use this information for statistical analysis, to help us make our site more useful to visitors. This tracking system does not record information about individuals.
Security and Intrusion Detection
For security purposes and to make sure this service remains available
to all users, we use special software programs for monitoring network
traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change
information, or otherwise to cause damage to this government computer
system. These programs collect no personally identifiable information,
but they do collect information that could help us identify someone
attempting to tamper with this Web site.
Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, we make no other attempts to identify individual users or their usage habits. We only use raw monitoring data logs for determining trends in usage patterns and in diagnosing system problems.
Information from e-mail you send to us
If you decide to send us an electronic mail message (e-mail, which
includes information you send to Customer Service regarding a problem
or feedback you provide on a Customer Survey), the message will
usually contain your return e-mail address. If you include
personally-identifying information in your e-mail because you want us
to address issues specific to your situation, we may use that
information in contacting other federal agencies or our partners (such
as schools, lenders, or state agencies) in connection with your student
aid application or aid awards. In other limited circumstances,
including requests from Congress or other parties, we may be required
by law to disclose information that you submit.
Also, e-mail is not necessarily secure against interception. If your communication is very sensitive, or includes personal information such as data from your tax return or student loan account, you may prefer to mail it by postal mail to:
Federal Student Aid Information Center
P.O. Box 84
Washington, D.C. 20044
Information collected if you complete a form on our Web sites
On this Web site, we offer interactive forms that allow you to apply
for financial aid. When you apply for federal student aid using one of
these forms, the Office of Federal Student Aid is authorized to
maintain a record of the transactions related to your application.
Under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended we are allowed to ask for the information on this form so that we can determine whether you are eligible for aid, and, if so, how much. We will share the information with other agencies, such as the Social Security Administration, to verify the information you put on the application. If you do not give us all of the information we need to process your FAFSA, your aid may be delayed or denied. For a complete description of the information we must tell you under the Privacy Act (Your Privacy Act Rights), select the Privacy Act link below.
State Certification
When you submit this application, you are automatically applying for
financial aid from your state of legal residence and, in some cases,
the state in which your school is located. You are giving your state
financial aid agency permission to verify information on this form and
to obtain income tax information for all people who are required to
report income on this form.
Your rights under the Paperwork Reduction Act
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, you are not required to
complete a government form unless it displays a valid OMB control
number. The valid OMB control number for the FAFSA application is
1845-0001; the correction form is 1845-0008. It should take you thirty
to forty minutes to complete the FAFSA application, twenty to
twenty-five minutes for the pre-filled application, and twenty-one
minutes for the correction form, including reading instructions,
gathering information, filling out the application, and reviewing it.
If you have any comments regarding the accuracy of this time estimate or
suggestions for improving this application, write to:
Federal Student Aid Information Center
P.O. Box 84
Washington, D.C. 20044
More about privacy and your student aid records
When you apply for Federal student aid, the Office of Federal Student Aid
Programs is authorized to maintain a record of the transactions related to
your application.
Select this link to review the System of Records notices, which list the authorized disclosures and the safeguards for the Office of Federal Student Aid Program systems under the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended.
If you have authorized us to share your financial aid information with state agencies or the schools that you are thinking of attending, they will also store that information (often in electronic form). State agencies and schools also collect other information relating to financial aid payments, admission, enrollment, etc. The privacy of these records is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
